New Umpire Pathway Programme Launched
June 13, 2024
The Club Umpire Programme is aimed at engaging with, and growing, the number of umpires in clubs, supporting them to be confident and enjoy umpiring. The main part of the programme involves the training up of a Club Umpire Officer (CUO). The CUO will be trained, by Hockey Ireland and the provincial umpiring bodies, to lead on the development of umpiring within their club. The Club Umpire Programme will also provide continuous development and support via provincial and club workshops.
The ultimate aims of this programme are:
- Increase recruitment of umpires for the neutral program
- All umpires in Ireland must have a formal umpiring qualification to umpire. This should be implemented from season 25/26.
The formal umpiring qualification is via the National Umpire Pathway, which has been agreed with the provincial umpiring associations and comprises the following elements:
- Online rules test
- Fundamentals of Umpiring 1 –online presentation
- Fundamentals of Umpiring 2 – online Q & A.
- Club Umpire must:
- Complete online rules test, Fundamentals of umpiring 1 & 2. Completion of this will be your formal umpiring qualification (numbered certification)
- Should become an associate member(nominal fee) of their Provincial Umpires Association – (optional for the Provincial Umpire Associations)
- This will give access to:
- Official kit & equipment
- Any training nights/days/webinars organised by their Provincial Umpires Association
This will be the only qualification recognised for new umpires wishing to:
- umpire at national level (all HI competitions)
- be included in the National Umpire academy
- be considered for EHF umpire development programmes (U4N, U4E and UDP)
- be considered for EHF and FIH appointments
Club Umpire Officer – role & responsibilities
- Each club to nominate a Club Umpire Officer
- Minimum qualifications for Club Umpire Coach:
- Current or retired umpire or
- Completed (or will complete) online rules test & Fundamentals of Umpiring 1
- Club Umpire Officer must attend:
- IHUA Club Umpire Coach Course and
- 2 seminars per season – the initial training course will count as the 1st seminar. The aim of the seminars is to keep the club umpire coaches up to date with developments in umpiring (new rules etc.) and to address any concerns/issues and also their input into possible improvements
- Club Umpire Officer will be supported by:
- Person nominated by Provincial Umpire Association and/or
- Regional Development Officer
- Club Umpire Coach to advise Provincial Umpire Association if Club Umpire shows promise and willingness to progress to neutral panel umpire i.e. umpire at provincial level
- Provincial Umpires Association to provide assessment or additional coaching required
Webpage - Click Here
Online Umpiring Courses/Events - Click Here
If anyone has any questions, please contact Tom Goode on umpiring@hockey.ie
